Expo 2020 / District 2020Building a Legacy

Whilst Expo 2020 Dubai continues to clock up column inches globally, a less discussed, arguably more important aspect to the mega-event has, until now garnered less attention yet remains an essential when hosting the large events such as the Expo, the Olympics or the World Cup. It’s little known that the Expo 2020 Dubai site post 2021 will be transformed into District 2020. A district that will stand testament to the lasting legacy the Expo will leave the city of Dubai and ensure the site has a purpose that lives long beyond the end of the show.

Expo / District 2020 commissioned Ochre to debut the District 2020 brand, to assist them in conveying how a legacy left can only become a success if it’s realisation is underpinned by rigorous planning from the very start, and finally to communicate the extent planning undertaken towards the legacy development itself.

With Cityscape mainly comprised of real estate and property developers we saw an opportunity for Expo/ District 2020 to differentiate their presence by not needing to conform to the often mundane, and nearly always predictable, corporate blandness. Instead we strived to something that not only became the most creative and iconic pavilion at the show, but one that sought to embody the intangible promise and opportunity only the Expo can bring to a city.

To realise this, we hung +1000 laser cut, white acrylic petals on clear acrylic rods from a custom ceiling grid with each petal reflected the expo site plan; amongst which we then nestled 100s of glowing bulbs between them. Furthermore we developed an entirely bespoke metallic material that allowed the internal moving lights to emit warm-white light through the surface.

The resulting space that appeared as light and ethereal as it was informative, delivering upon all the intended brand and communication objectives whilst embodying the spirit of the Expo.